SNC-Lavin consortium signs Evergreen Line contract

SNC-Lavalin Inc. consortium, EGRT Construction, has signed a design, build and finance agreement with the province of British Columbia, Canada, for the Evergreen Line rapid transit project in Metro Vancouver.

EGRT Construction is led by SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc., the design-build contractor and includes a joint venture between SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Western) Inc. and Graham Building Service.

The Evergreen Line will link the Tri-Cities area to the existing Millennium Line for the first time through rapid transit. The new system is expected to support community growth and development along the route and near the stations by providing better transit connections between regional centers and downtown Vancouver.

The construction cost for the Evergreen Line is estimated at CA$889 million (US$890 million). EGRT Construction will be responsible for the construction of elevated and at-grade guideways, a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) bored tunnel, seven stations, power substations, train operating systems, parking facilities and a vehicle storage and light maintenance facility.

The project will fully integrate into the existing SkyTrain system, linking directly to the Millennium Line, with connections to the Expo Line, Canada Line, the West Coast Express and regional bus networks.

"We are honored to have been selected for a project which will greatly enhance Metro Vancouver's world-class mass transit network," said Robert Card, president and CEO, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. "We are also pleased to be working with the government of British Columbia to once again deliver a sustainable rapid-transit system that will link communities in the northeast sector to downtown Vancouver."

Work on the Evergreen Line will begin in February 2013, with completion expected for the summer of 2016.

RT&S reported on the original contract award to SNC-Lavalin on Oct. 5; read original story here.